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Underappreciated by the public and the source of hard feelings when their name, in its shortened form, finds its way into an argument, donkeys never have had it easy.

And with a record-breaking drought showing few signs of ending, donkeys in Texas are facing an additional challenge: finding a place to call home.

Sheriffs' departments and animal rescue operations say donkeys, like horses, are being turned loose in growing numbers because the drought has made them too costly to keep, and buyers are not lining up to acquire them.

Donkeys, smaller than horses and with fewer uses, typically have less value than horses. Many auction barns aren't interested in putting donkeys on the block any more, officials said.

So cash-strapped owners are giving donkeys up, often freeing them on the sides of roads, and leaving the animals' fate up to law enforcement agencies and a determined group of donkey rescue operations.

"Donkey rescues have gone through the roof," said Mark Meyers, executive director of Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue, a California-based nonprofit organization with a 260-acre rescue ranch near San Angelo that's housing about 500 donkeys, its largest number ever.

He and other Peaceful Valley representatives traveled to Presidio early this month for donkeys that had wandered across the border and were seized by federal authorities.

The day after that rescue, officials in Navarro County in Northeast Texas had 40 more abandoned donkeys for Peaceful Valley to claim. By the week's end, the organization had heard from six more sheriffs departments that needed donkeys taken off their hands.

"There are so many coming in, we're having a hard time keeping up," Meyers said.

Darla Cherry, president of Meadow Haven Horse Rescue in Nixon, said donkeys probably are being abandoned at a faster rate than horses, but rising feed costs associated with the drought are behind both trends.

Another factor contributing to the trend, she said, is that too many people acquire horses and donkeys for the wrong reasons. They think the animals will be fun to own but don't realize the work and costs involved, said Cherry, whose organization rescues donkeys and horses.

A round bale of hay can cost $125 this year, more than twice the price last year, she said. When donkeys can't draw enough at auction to cover the cost of the blood test the animals need before sale, owners see letting the animal go as a way to cut losses.

"You can't sell them or give them away and you can't feed them, so you're stuck," Meyers said. "They're just releasing them on some else's property."

In the United States in 2007, Texas had the most horses, 438,827, and the most mules and donkeys, 60,790, according to the Agriculture Department. Across the country, 283,806 mules and donkeys were counted in the department's 2007 agricultural survey.

While not routinely used as riding animals, donkeys gained popularity as companion animals for sheep and other livestock because they ward off predators such as coyotes or wild dogs, officials said.

Damon Wegner, a Washington County Sheriff's Department investigator who handles livestock rescues, said the high reproduction rates of donkeys often produce problems for ranchers. They may only need one or two donkeys to watch the herds but have several more, Wegner said.

The extra animals that owners can't sell are the ones most likely to be abandoned.

Sheriffs departments in Texas are responsible for picking up abandoned livestock and trying to reunite the animals with their owners. Charles Paul, a Navarro County deputy sheriff who handles abandoned animals, said horse owners at times reclaim their animals but that donkey owners rarely do.

Instead of euthanizing the animals, sheriffs departments have looked to groups such as Peaceful Valley to step in and care for the donkeys long term.

Meyers said his organization's commitment to the well being of donkeys is strong. But with the long-term care of each donkey running about $1,000, Peaceful Valley's resources are being stretched thin, he said. The group puts rescued donkeys up for adoption, but, in Texas, few people have been interested, Meyers said.

Peaceful Valley, which gets no government funding, took in almost $1.9 million in contributions and grants last year, according to tax records reported by GuideStar, an organization that gathers information about nonprofit groups. Peaceful Valley spent $1.8 million, including about $806,000 in program expenses, including medical costs and feeding for animals.

But costs are increasing this year, Meyers said, forcing the group to dip into its reserve funds.

Both Meyers and Cherry said they need donations to keep up with the booming workload. Peaceful Valley receives less than 5 percent of its donations from Texas, while 95 percent of its rescue budget is being applied to Texas this year, Meyers said.